Rediscovering the Past: Lynn Aloysius Belvedere!!!

If I had my way, every time someone walked into my workplace they'd be bearing the kind of news my friend Mark dropped on me today...

Having read my post about the imminent release of "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" on DVD--June 30th Motherfuckers!!!--Mark came in with the little lady and dropped this nugget on my unsuspecting ass: Shout! Factory is doing its damnedest to solidify its place in my heart as the best business in the world, adding "Mr. Belvedere" to its docket of releases. The glory that is Christopher Hewett as the titular British housekeeper that comes to live with Pittsburgh sports columnists George Owens family as Marsha Owens ventures back to law school will make its way to my DVD shelf St. Patrick's Day. Seasons One and Two will be released together that day, and I, for one, cannot wait to see Mr. Belvedere outwit Wesley at every turn while Bob Uecker embodies everything that we all wanted in fathers circa 1985 (no offense, Dad--I still love you).

This is something that I have been waiting for with almost as much energy as I have "PLCL". There were days back when I worked with one Miss Jordana Mollick* back at the coffee shop in Minneapolis where we would wax nostalgic about "Mr. Belvedere" and try to recall the lyrics from the Leon Redbone sung, Gary Portnoy co-written theme song "According to Our New Arrivals" without the degree of success we demanded of ourselves.

*I initially thought better of including your last name, Jordana, but then I thought better of it when I thought of the joy that could enter your life knowing that googling your name will connect you eternally with "Mr. Belvedere"--an honor to be sure.

And, even though, I have done this before, I am going to embed the video of the intro because I will look for any reason to get that theme song out there.

Now, as I rewatch the intro, it occurs to me that Brice Beckham looks like what I imagine my Phillies fan friend, Donald probably looked like in 1985, so ya got that goin' for ya, Donnie.

Regardless, from this point forward, I do not want anyone walking into where I'm working without a piece of news like this. Keep this in mind, ladies and gents.

Now, if only that bizarre episode of "Ned & Stacey" where Ned employs Christopher Hewett to play Mr. Belvedere in an ad campaign only to come to discover that Hewett believes himself to be Lynn Aloysius Belvedere and lives on the abandoned set of the show were included in this first DVD release...

Rediscovering the Past: The Greatest DVD News In the History of the Letters D, V, and D

I may have mentioned before that I have an undying love for the television series "Parker Lewis Can't Lose". I say 'may have', but you can read that as meaning 'have definitely' because I have gone so far as to post the entire pilot episode in embedded video form. That was one of but a few "Parker Lewis" posts. This is the best of all.

Apparently the folks over at Shout! Factory have secured the rights for DVD release, and we can be expecting the release of the first season later this year. The article is here. I was informed via email, as I am of course on a mailing list for any such news.

You have no idea how fucking pumped I am for this. And Shout! were the crew responsible for the "Freaks and Geeks" DVD sets, which are quite possibly the most special feature laden, all-encompassing, overflowing-with-love DVD release in the history of the medium. Thank God PLCL will not be getting the haphazard "Get A Life" three volume greatest hits treatment. Thank God for Shout! Factory.

Rediscovering the Past: God of the '80s

Over the course of the decade in which the foundation for the person I was to become was laid, there was one man whose influence over popular culture was more widely felt than all others.

Now this man was no stranger to the world in 1980. For the ten years prior, his workmanlike devotion to precise percussion cut a swath across pop music, laying down drum tracks for such vital and varied acts as Brian Eno, Thin Lizzy, Daryl Hall, Brand X, Mike Oldfield, John Cale, and of course Genesis--which he joined initially as a replacement drummer, but eventually took the reins with Peter Gabriel's departure for a solo career only to take the band to greater heights commercially than they ever reached under Gabriel's leadership.

As Genesis became more and more successful, the necessity for the embarkation into a solo career became more and more evident. In 1981, the world's thirst for more Phil Collins was quenched with the release of Face Value, a tour de force of historic proportions. And within a year of its release "In the Air Tonight" had imprinted its signature drumline and haunting vocals on the psyche of music listeners worldwide.

As the 80s rolled on, Phil Collins rolled on. It could easily be argued that this decade was his. While acts like Guns 'N Roses entralled the record-buying public with their bad-boy antics, Phil Collins was selling a fuckload of records. Moreover, one would be hard-pressed to think of an artist that released the mass of material that Collins did while maintaining the commercial success he did for the entire duration of the decade. While Thriller sold better than any record in the decade, Michael Jackson only released two albums in the decade. Madonna didn't release an album until 1983.

Really, the only other artist whose volume of output and commercial appeal could be considered to rival Collins' 80s success was Prince. Prince put out 10 records in the decade, and wrote the music for other bands like The Time, Sheila E., and Mazerati. Collins had four solo records and five Genesis records. Each were given films to star in--Buster obviously being the less successful of the two. But Prince's ascent to superstardom really wasn't complete until 1984, when Purple Rain was released. Collins was already well-established in 1984, when his career took off on a streak of 13 straight top ten hits in the U.S. through 1992*. That is a feat of consistency that Prince could only have dreamt to acheive.

*One could argue persuasively (and Chuck Klosterman has, although with a slant) that the 1980s really didn't end until 1992, as the decade really spilled into the early 1990s with the "80s" being officially killed by Nirvana's release of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". What Nirvana's success also meant was an end to 80s style, mindset, and culture. For evidence of this phenomenon, you need look no further than "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", which saw its embrace of what was essentially late 80s style--including the titular Corin Nemec's hair--change drastically in its third season. The more I think about it, the more I should be blaming Kurt Cobain for the death of my beloved TV show...

Most importantly, though, is something else--something more incredible. Where androgyny, a driving force in rock success, helped Prince in his ascension to the pantheon of 80s idolatry, Phil Collins had no such help. His most successful record, and perhaps his most culturally relevant year were driven by an album with this record cover.

That man was selling more records than just about anybody in the decade. In an industry driven almost entirely by sex appeal, Phil Collins--the man pictured above--sold more than 100 million solo records and more than 100 million records as a member of Genesis.

Just to reiterate how his success defied all logic, here you go:

Speaking of never forgetting...

Sure, Timothy Stack may not be there, and the teaser starts late, but...

My apologies, World

I've had this page up for a far longer amount of time than is excusable to not have gone off on my longest standing gripe with the world:

WHERE THE FUCK IS MY "PARKER LEWIS CAN'T LOSE" DVD, SONY???

Get with the program, jackoffs.

If you want, the answer to my question, you can find it here.